You know as a guy I’m in no way an expert or an authority on makeup, but a few years ago while watching my girlfriend at the time try out all kinds of funky makeup tricks, I realized that when done right, it’s actually an incredibly fascinating form of art. And while watching her learn to do all these crazy things with her eye liners and her eye shadows, I realized that there were actually quite a few simple lessons that I could learn from her as a guitarist.
They both take planning
Just like a makeup artist would never pull out their pencils and brushes without having a crystal clear idea of the visual effect they want to achieve, no guitarist should ever pick up their instrument without having a clear-cut idea of what they want to achieve through their practice.
They both call for patience
Watching my girlfriend at the time put on her makeup each day I realized that the difference between a bad makeup day and a great makeup day was patience. And playing guitar is no different. Mastering the instrument is a long and arduous process that takes a great deal of patience. And trying to rush the process only ever results in a lot of wasted time and effort.
They both require precision
Attention to detail is just one of those subtleties that often separate the good artists from the great ones. Just like perfect makeup calls for painstaking precision so does perfect guitar playing. And often guitarists lose sight of the difference between simply learning something and mastering it with precision.
They both take practice
To be completely honest, the first few times that my girlfriend tried out something new with her makeup, it would end up looking quirky at best and downright weird at worst. But the cool thing about her was that these bad makeup days didn’t faze her. She kept at it and she practiced – hard! And soon enough she was looking good enough to make me want to mess her makeup up before she even got to step out of the house. Playing guitar is really no different. During the first few days that you start learning a new lick or technique, it’ll most probably sound like crap, but as long as you practice hard and stick with it, it will sound amazing soon enough.
They both entail investment
In the same way that good quality makeup products can make the whole process of putting on your makeup a hundred times easier, high quality equipment can often make the process of mastering the guitar a whole lot easier. I’m not saying that you have to invest in thousands of dollars worth of gear from the get go, but it’s always important to realize that a serious player needs serious equipment. And money that’s invested in good gear is always money well spent.
~ Lasith Fernando
